The How-To-Guide for Planning Your Dukesfest 2007 Trip

The Dukes of Hazzard is one of the most popular and profitable television shows ever made. From its debut in 1979, there has been cartoons, soundtracks, reunion movies, and a festival dedicated to all that is Dukes of Hazzard held every year for all of us Dukes lovers to gather together (more than 70,000 people a year) and give a YEEE-HAA! So who, what, when, where, and why is this all about and what do I need to do to get there?

The WHO is Ben Jones, known as "Cooter" on the show created Dukesfest eight years ago in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
The WHAT is the annual gathering of "Dukes of Hazzard" fans to enjoy two days of personal appearances by the stars of the original "Dukes of Hazzard" show, with music, car shows, car stunts that are performed by the original show's stunt drivers, over one hundred General Lees, and tons of attractions.
The WHEN is June 1^st, June 2^nd and 3^rd 2007.
The WHERE is at the Music City Motorplex at the Nashville, Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

Sounds awesome right!? But your wondering how much this is going to cost you, especially those of you who live out of state. I am in Pennsylvania and am planning on going as well as flying a friend in from Washington State to join me... This can get costly, however you just need to weigh your options and do some searching.

First you have to know how much tickets are for this event.
Easy, advance sale tickets for the two-day event are $35, and one-day passes are $25. Children 10 and under are free, and military service men and women are free with proper ID. Weekend passes are $40 at the gate and $30 for the day. You can get tickets from calling Ticketmaster at (615) 255-9600. Or buying them online at www.cootersplace.com or you can simply call Cooter's Place at (615) 872-8358.

How many people are going?
Once you figure out how many people are going, which should be done as soon as possible. That way you can purchase all the tickets in advance to avoid any sell outs as well as waiting until the last minute and pay more for the tickets at the door. This might not be a lot of savings, but every $5 counts whenever you want food or beverage.

Then there is the consideration of with the calculation of all who are going, where they are coming from and how are they getting to the Nashville, Tennessee destination. Driving would be the first idea, especially to those who are within Tennessee. Those who are up for a road trip... Here are some time estimates driving to Nashville.

Alabama - Montgomery- 4 hours
Arizona - Phoenix- 24 hours
Arkansas - Little Rock- 6 hours
California - Sacramento- 34 hours
Colorado - Denver- 19 hours
Connecticut - Hartford- 18 hours
Delaware - Dover- 13 hours
Florida - Tallahassee- 9 hours
Georgia - Atlanta- 4 hours
Idaho - Boise- 28 hours
Illinois - Springfield- 7 hours
Indiana - Indianapolis- 5 hours
Iowa - Des Moines- 12 hours
Kansas - Topeka- 10 hours
Kentucky - Frankfort- 4 hours
Louisiana - Baton Rouge- 9 hours
Maine - Augusta- 20 hours
Maryland - Annapolis- 12 hours
Massachusetts - Boston- 18 hours
Michigan - Lansing- 9 hours
Minnesota - St. Paul- 14 hours
Mississippi - Jackson- 7 hours
Missouri - Jefferson City- 7 hours
Montana - Helena- 28 hours
Nebraska - Lincoln- 12 hours
Nevada - Carson City- 32 hours
New Hampshire - Concord- 19 hours
New Jersey - Trenton- 14 hours
New Mexico - Santa Fe- 18 hours
New York - Albany- 16 hours
North Carolina - Raleigh- 9 hours
North Dakota - Bismarck- 20 hours
Ohio - Columbus- 7 hours
Ohio-Cleveland- 8 hours
Oklahoma - Oklahoma City- 10 hours
Oregon - Salem- 36 hours
Pennsylvania - Harrisburg- 12 hours
Pennsylvania- Pittsburgh- 9 hours
Rhode Island - Providence- 18 hours
South Carolina - Columbia- 7 hours
South Dakota - Pierre- 18 hours
Texas - Austin- 13 hours
Utah - Salt Lake City- 24 hours
Vermont - Montpelier- 19 hours
Virginia - Richmond- 10 hours
Washington - Olympia- 36 hours
West Virginia - Charleston- 7 hours
Wisconsin - Madison- 10 hours
Wyoming - Cheyenne- 18 hours

Okay, now that you have an estimate of how long it would take you if you were driving, you do have to take into consideration whose vehicle would be best suited for this road trip, as well as the cost of gas. Right now the average cost of gas around the US is $2.30 per gallon, there is still a few more months until Dukesfest 2007 and it is in the summer time so add about $0.10 to $0.15 cents to the average cost right now. If the drive is more than an 8 to 10 hour drive you may need to think about selecting back up drivers and or choosing a location that would be best to rent a hotel for the night. Spending too much time in a vehicle can be tiring, especially if there is only one designated driver. And always make sure that those who are going pitch in on gas. And of course you always have to estimate a little higher than expected just so your not short any money.

The next option is of course flying into Nashville. Flying can get very expensive. You want to make sure that you do a lot of research so you can get the cheapest, most efficient flight. Even though you want to find the cheapest flight, never choose a flight that you are not comfortable with, whether it be a specific airline, or choosing one of those little puddle jumpers that you feel every gust of wind with. Everyone has their own preference when choosing flights, some people like puddle jumpers. Here are some great websites to check prices with.

www.orbitz.com

www.cheaptickets.com

www.bookingbuddy.com

www.expedia.com

www.flightarrivals.com

www.lowfares.com

www.travelocity.com

www.airgorilla.com

www.compairline.com

www.priceline.com

www.ticketspinner.com

www.bookingwiz.com

All of the above websites are awesome for researching and comparing costs. Remember, the sooner you wait to book a flight, the more expensive it may be and the less chance you have of picking your preferred seating. A lot of times when looking for that perfect flight cost, selecting the option to change planes once or twice during your flight will lower the cost of the tickets. And of course we always know that selecting first class will hike up the big bucks as well.

The next option would be by train. Amtrak is an awesome train to take if you are looking for the scenic route (besides driving of course). Most of the above websites I have listed have price comparisons for train travel as well, however it can get costly as well as flying can and when it comes to taking a train, you do have to allot more time for traveling than you would driving.

Here is an example. I am planning on leaving from Pittsburgh, PA to go to Nashville, TN. Dukesfest is Saturday June 2^nd and Sunday June 3^rd. You may have to leave a two day gap on either end of those dates to save those for traveling, depending on how many stops the train needs to make. Which means more days off of work and more money set aside.

Another scenic route would be by Greyhound. Using the same example I used above, from Pittsburgh to Nashville would take an estimate of anywhere from 13 to 17 hours depending on the route you would choose. And if you were driving your car it would take close to 9 hours. As for fare, the cheapest would be $136 per passenger and that is only if you would order it 7 days in advance.

So, now that you have decided which way and how you want to get there, when you arrive, where do you stay?

You of course want to find a nice hotel closest to where the festival is going to be at. Here is the address to help you out.

The Music City Motorplex and State Fairgrounds
615 Smith Ave.
Nashville, TN 37203

Everyone has their preference when it comes to choosing a hotel, and again the sites I had listed above are wonderful for selecting and comparing. Remember that a lot of hotels give discounts to those who have AAA and Military Id's. Also you may want to check with your place of employment, a lot of places give discounts to specific hotels.

Now that you have found a hotel, and if you flew in or took the train or greyhound, you are wondering how you are going to get around and see the sights. Well, rent-a-car is always a great option. Right in the heart of Nashville there are several rent-a-car companies such as Avis, Hertz, Budget, and Enterprise. I personally would go with Enterprise. They are the most inexpensive and efficient place I have ever rented a car from. They also sell cars too.

Decisions, decisions, decisions... There is a lot to consider for a weekend vacation. If your wondering what I am doing to get there well...

There are going to be a total of 4 people attending Dukesfest in my group of friends this year. Three of us are residing in Pittsburgh, PA. The other attendee is residing in Seattle, WA. Quite a distance huh? Well here is what we have all came up with. Round trip to fly my best friend in from Seattle as per www.bookingbuddy.com with a flight leaving on June 1^st and returning on June 4^th the cost is $286. The Pittsburgh group is driving, using one vehicle, the 9 hour drive to Nashville and meeting the Seattle friend at the selected hotel. Total gas to be estimated around $100 split three ways would be about $34. The hotel was found through www.expedia.com using an AAA discount. The American Best Value Inn only one mile from Dukesfest we are able to get a 2 Queen Bed Guestroom Non Smoking Cable TV with Hbo/ Free Local Calls Patio/Balcony, Park View for $57 per night. Check in being June 1^st and check out being June 4^th. Total hotel cost would be $171 or $43 per person. Of course we can't forget to purchase the Dukesfest tickets, with four people it would be $140 or $35 per person. Being that we drove down, we do not need a rent-a-car. All together this trip will cost $697. If split between all four of us $175 per person. Not bad if you think about it for a weekend get-a-way.

Always remember to add money for food and beverages and souvenirs and also any type of emergencies.

Don't forget that Nashville is the home to the Grand Ole Opry. This awesome sightseeing music capital of the world is only 20 minutes or eleven miles away from the Dukesfest location. There is so much to do here it is unbelievable! Horse drawn carriage tours, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Dance shows, and much much more! Check it out at www.nashvillesightseeing.com.

I honestly can't wait until June and hope that this helped all y'all Dukes fans out there with your trip. Hope to see y'all there!